Film tells life story of international ballet star Li Cunxin, including dramatic consulate event
HOUSTON (Aug. 16, 2010) --- The story made international headlines in 1981. Famed Houston Ballet star
Li Cunxin, a Chinese national, was forcibly detained inside the Chinese Consulate after informing Chinese authorities that he intended to remain in the United States. Li's immigration attorney, FosterQuan LLP founding partner Charles C. Foster, refused to abandon his client at the consulate for concerns that the Chinese would spirit Li out of the country against his will. What followed was a tense and sometimes surreal 21-hour negotiation, during which Foster went to federal court to obtain a restraining order, meeting two federal judges in the early morning hours at the rear entrance of the U.S. District Courthouse in Houston. All the while, he quietly phoned senior U. S. authorities, alerting them to the legal consequences of forcible repatriation to further prevent Li's removal from the United States.
That incident is now replayed as part of the inspiring film "Mao's Last Dancer," scheduled to be released theatrically on Friday, August 20th in several major markets by Samuel Goldwyn Films and ATO Pictures. The film is based on the best-selling autobiography of the same name, which chronicles Li's life story from an impoverished childhood in China to international stardom as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet. The film stars Chi Cao as Li, Kyle MacLachlan as Foster, Bruce Greenwood as Ben Stevenson, who was then Houston Ballet's artistic director, and Joan Chen as Li's mother. Directed by Oscar-nominated director Bruce Beresford, the film has already received rave reviews from both foreign and U.S. movie critics.
While Foster never anticipated that his actions as Li's lawyer would be dramatically replayed in a motion picture, he is mostly satisfied with the accuracy of events as shown in the film and approves of talented, two-time Emmy-nominated actor MacLachlan's portrayal of him. He is most pleased about the success that his longtime friend Li is enjoying with both the book and the film.
"Li is a remarkably talented and courageous person who deserves all the recognition and accolades his book and the film are receiving," said Foster.
Likewise, Li says that it was his good fortune to have Foster with him that fateful evening at the consulate. "If it wasn't for Charles' knowledge of the applicable law, his quick thinking and his dedication to me as his client, I am not sure how it might have turned out," he said.
Along with beginning a lifelong friendship between Li and Foster, the events portrayed in the film were the catalyst for more than 30 years of pro bono immigration legal work for the Houston Ballet and other local arts organizations that continues today to be an important FosterQuan tradition. Along with the ballet, organizations such as the Houston Symphony Orchestra, DaCamera Society, Alley Theatre, Houston International Festival, Theater Under the Stars, Dance Salad Festival, Mercury Baroque and Gilbert & Sullivan Society have all benefited from the firm's immigration legal counsel.
As a nationally recognized immigration lawyer, Foster hopes that his portrayal in the film might bring some attention to the important role that immigration lawyers play in helping arts organizations legally bring an exciting array of international talent to U.S. stages.
"What most audiences don't think about is that major performing arts organizations, such as the Houston Ballet, have an ongoing need to navigate complex immigration laws in order to legally bring the best talent from around the world to perform here," said Foster. "The process is time-consuming and involves multiple federal agencies, so it requires experienced legal counsel."
A recognized expert in U.S. immigration law, Foster has more than thirty years of experience representing and advising multinational companies. Along with his role as co-chairman of FosterQuan, one of the nation's largest immigration law firms, Foster currently leads the Greater Houston Partnership Task Force on Immigration Reform and serves as chair of the State Bar of Texas Immigration & Nationality Law Section. He also serves as Honorary Consul General for the Kingdom of Thailand. He has served as a senior policy advisor to both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during their presidential campaigns. Among numerous professional honors, Foster has been recognized as a top-ranked immigration lawyer by Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers; as a "Texas Super Lawyer" by Texas Monthly magazine; and as a "Go-To Immigration Lawyer" by Texas Lawyer.
For more information about the film "Mao's Last Dancer," visit maoslastdancer-movie.com.
